Auto Express Power Drive 2006

[flitwick]

Once again the c3 gets a good kicking.I can agree that it has poor build and reliabilty but performance is good from my 1.4 16v hdi .Comfort and practicality gets knocked as well .I disagree with this as well i think for a small car you can get alot into it and the seats are ok .The handerling got 93rd place as well again i would disagree the c3 ok its no sports car but ive yet to get it going out of shape when going round the twisty stuff and having driven a corsa in the past alot better round townAlso acording to this 1 in 3 would not buy another one ,would i? erm no maybe a c4 next time :P

[wozza]

I own a C4 and after driving a C3 1.1 desire it was truly awful the handling, bodyroll general grip was awful. Sweeping corners i go round in the C4 and it stays completely flat the C3 was near enough on its side for at slower speeds.

 

Build quality is crap and the cheapness of the plastics does not help. Saw a topgear thing the other day which said the C4 has near enough as good a feel plastics as half the mercs and bmws have which i thought was a good review as the C4 dash isnt really plastic feels more like a material.

 

The C3 the one i drove was hopeless on power. And considering the top of the range 1.6 C3 is heavier than the equivalent C4 somethings is wrong as a result the performance suffers. The HDi's will feel quicker than they are due to the amount of torque and the turbo.

 

Im really not a fan of the C3 at all. Would much rather have a C2 if i was looking at a smallish hatchback otherwise theres the C4 which is just ahead of everything else in the range on build quality and power etc. No dodgy sensodrive gearboxes either.

[toblerone]

Although I agree the c3 is not the best car in its class, it is by no means the worst. I have driven an 04 c3 Hdi Desire since new, covering around 17000 miles in just under 2 years without fault. The car might not handle or have the build quality of a VW or Volkswagen or its big brother the c4, but then it is not in the same class or price range.

 

Its boot is bigger than the c2 and it can seat 5, opposed to 4 in the c2. Road tax for the year is £85, I average 64.2 mpg doing a mix of town and motorway driving. Insurance is group 3 which is very cheap given that I am 21. The car is zippy with bags of torque yet still economical.

 

I feel safe driving it, I had a car go into the back of me whilst stationary. The Micra that hit me sustained quite a lot of damage and was written off whereas there was very little damage to my car.

 

Although there is a fair amount of body roll if pushed particularly on rural roads, it is a comfortable drive and handles well and if body roll is that bothersome surely you are pushing the car too excesively? I bought a small, economical car with all the features I require such as CD player, air con etc It has done everything it has been designed and claimed to without fault during the 2 years I have owned it.

[wozza]

If the bodyrolls it means im pushing to much for the car yeah. But after coming from a clio which would leave my C4 trailing in corners the C3 was slower round them than my C4 and my clio was totally standard as well. Dont rate Puntos either.

 

Most cars that go into the back of a stationary car will suffer more damage than the stationary car. Crumple zone thing.

 

yeah suppose road tax comes into it. I mean im only 21 but i know i couldnt drive the 1.4 C3 i could drive it but couldnt live with it on a daily basis. I like my cars to feel a little sportier. My C4 is only a group6 though which isnt much more to insure than a group3 to be honest £100 or so more. And to me its deffinately worth it to have that extra bit of power. And a nicer feeling car. the C3 falls into the same class as the fiesta, punto clio etc.

 

But in the class the C3 is competing in it really is one of the worst. the fiesta, punto, clio, fabia, polo etc are all better built better feeling cars. Never seen the end of complaints about the C3 on here. To the point how many people on here who complained about them now have got rid of them after only a short amount of time owning them? Will find quite a lot have or that they would not buy another one.

 

If i was buying a car in that class again i would buy another clio. Theres nothing else that comes close to the fun it gives you and if you want economy you cant beat the DCi engines. with the lower power ones putting out nearly 100mpg in testing.

[Guest CE05LDB]

Well I some1 near where I live had a 03 reg C3 HDi SX on Motability and now the contract is up I passed there yesterday and saw an 06 reg C3 Exclusive outside so the guy must have been happy with his previous C3 to have another one.

 

If the C3 is still about in 2008 I would have another one unless the C4 Auto had a bit more extras and the motability deposit is in my price range.

[toblerone]

I inherited an 01 Xsara 1.6 (which handled brilliantly), which I traded in for the c3. I took driving lessons in a Punto and Rover 25, both of which felt quite cheap, even in comparison with the c3.

 

know my instructor had a lot of reliability issues with the punto and customer service issues with the dealership which disuaded me. At the time of purchase I looked at a Corsa and Hyundai Getz, but the deal offered was poor. I go to a family rum main dealer my family have used for 14 years.

 

Re, the bump, the only part I had replaced was the black strip on the bumper which took 20 mins. The other parties car was undriveable as the radiator had pushed back and later written off and it was a 53 reg.

 

I do like the way Clios handle, but previous family experience with our local Renault (Rubbish) dealership and a seriously unreliable laguna put me off. The car was off the road for over a month and a half in total in the first year of having it, then had serious problems which resulted in the leasing company taking it back at just under 2 years.

 

I know, as with all cars there are problems. The c3 does have various niggles, but on the whole it is zippy, comfortable and secure and having a decent family run, local main dealer is an added benefit which will probally result in me sticking with Citroen when the car turns 3 next year. A car gets you from a to b, and my c3 does this with no problems.

[wozza]

My Renault (Rubbish) (Rubbish) dealer puts my citroen dealer to shame. Renault (Rubbish) (Rubbish) dealer i had the service area was run by my flatmates brother though (known my flat mate since we were 4) so my car was always looked after very well.

 

My clio had no problems in 3 years though i cant say the same about my C4 in 4 months. The Clio felt better on the road was more fun to drive comfortable and had everything i wanted as well cd player etc.

 

As a result i would buy another clio. I wouldnt buy a laguna though megane i would consider as well. The lagunas arent known for being great. The clios were known as being cheap but they werent that bad. Mine didnt even have any rattles after 3 years.

 

The puntos feel really cheap. And corsas handle like a sack of crap.

 

Think next car i buy though is gonna end up being something to race only trackday car. And im considering something japanese and rear wheel drive i wanna get into drifting a bit more theres just something about driving sideways that appeals to me.

 

The (rubbish) thing next to Renault (Rubbish) annoys me lol.

[stimulator]

I own a C3 54 reg 1.4HDi SX 92BHP 16 Valves.

 

I find this C3 fun to drive and enjoy the heck out of it, it's nippy and very ecconomical to run, even better sinec the budget brought the road tax down to £50.

 

Ok there are better cars but for the money it fine. Would I buy another one too right.

 

If you look at the book figs in all the motor mags the 92BHP C3 never gets a mention. Top gear only tested the 70BHP which is 8V. The 16V has the variable output turbo which certainly gets it going.